stackalee wrote: ↑Sat Oct 19, 2024 3:05 pm
Most of teams usually have conference members in their sectionals. And if not, that's where the extra games come in.
And while playing football in high school, which do you think mattered to us more, being the lake 10 blue division champs or being sectional champs?
Sectional, but you can win sectional without resorting to a 'district' type of non-conference schedule.
Take, for instance, sectional 17: teams in sectional 17 are Hobart, Highland, KV, Hanover Central, New Prairie, KV, Gary West, East Chicago, and Lowell.
Not a single team in that mix plays New Prairie during the regular season. Gary West only plays East Chicago and vice versa. You aren't going to have New Prairie pick up the other 7 teams in the sectional and have them play the other teams. You aren't going to have Gary West and East Chicago pick up the 6 teams in the sectional that they don't currently play. And forcing the remaining six into a locked non-conference schedule of New Prairie, Gary West, and East Chicago. That eliminates teams having any say in their non-conference schedule and eliminates any traditional non-conference games they play. And it's not like there are other 4A teams close the area -- next closest would be Culver.
Indiana already tried the 'cluster' system once and got rid of it because it was an utter failure. Keep everyone in the tournament. If you want seeding, fine, use Sagarin.